Tattoo Me
by Axelle Skellington
Summary: During a brief break in his home town he decides to get some work done on his sleeves when he's handed over to a new tattooer who seems all to familiar...
1. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

He walked into the familiar tattoo shop, the one he'd gotten virtually all of his work done in.

"Hey man," one of the men called to him. "How ya been," he asked returning his eyes to his work.

"Good. You," Punk asked without looking up from the book of tattoos laying on a counter.

"Good, good. I'll be with you in a minute. Just fillin' in a couple more spots."

"It's cool. I'm gonna be home for a couple days. I'm in no hurry," he said as he moved to a seat that faced the inside of the shop, taking the book with him. "Busy, huh?"

"Yeah, had to hire a couple of artists," he answered after a moment.

Punk flipped though the final pages of the book and stood to return it to the counter. He stopped when his eyes landed on one of the people he assumed was a new artist. He placed the book on the counter carefully before turning to his friend.

"What you looking to get," his friend said as he cleaned up his work station.

"I was just wanting to do some more work on the sleeve we talked about last time," he spoke.

"Oh yeah. I remember talking about that now. I told you I wasn't your best person for that though," he said shaking his head. "I can free hand but that's not something I'm willing to test my skills on," he said as he removed his gloves.

"I forgot that part... Well, I really wanna finish it."

"I can do it but I'd rather you choose someone who will do the work better than I can."

"If you insist... So, who is she?"

"That's Axel's sister," he laughed.

"Axel's little sister?"

"Yeah, I hired her a few weeks after your last visit," the artist responded, watching the young woman work on a small Japanese character on the back of a woman's neck about her age and obviously not Asian. "If you really want that work done she is the one you should talk to. She is amazing at free hand."

"Axel's sister, huh..." he thought out loud.

"That's it doll. You're all set... No swimming, no spray painting, no loofa, no a lot of things," she said as she wiped the area once more.

"I got the list," the girl said a little annoyed.

"Good. Follow those instructions carefully or you'll be back for a rework in no time," she quipped.

"Got it." The girl gathered her things quickly. "Thanks."

"Later," the small half German, half Japanese girl responded as she stood up and looked toward the front of the room, shooting the owner a look. Her eyes swept across the room freezing on Punk. She smiled and turned to the task of cleaning her work area to avoid staring.

"Go talk to her... She doesn't bite," the older artist nudged Punk.

Punk stood still for a moment before starting her direction.

"Ry," the owner called. She spun around, her long black hair floated on the air accentuating the white and teal streaks in it.

"Yes," she said, her hands full and her long bangs in her face.

"This is Phil Brooks. He's a client of mine and a friend of your brother's in high school. He was wanting some work done that's right up your alley," he said before turning away to greet another person who'd walked through the door.

"I'm fully aware of who he is," she grumbled. Punk heard it but acted as though he hadn't. He could tell her day hadn't been going too well by the expression she had wore while working on the woman's tattoo. He decided it best not to press the issue.

"You can call me Punk," he said with a smile. "I hate to be called Phil," he pointed out.

"Alright then," she said. "Feel free to take a seat over here if you'd like to talk," she said as she washed her hands.

He followed her instructions and took the seat near her tattooing table. He noticed her dark grey eyes and her lip ring before anything else.

"So what are you wanting, Punk," she asked as she continued to clean up her station. She was small, around five-feet-two or three and just barely broke one hundred pounds.

"Well I really just wanted to finish this sleeve but it's got free-handing in it," he said pointing to the area that had been left empty for some time.

"I see what you're saying," she said before sanitizing her all of her equipment. "When do you want to do it," she asked him.

"Well, tonight or tomorrow if you're available," he said.

"I'm available later tonight or tomorrow but I have an appointment now to get some work done." She swallowed quietly before continuing, "You see, my best friend, also a excellent free-hander is coming to visit this week in the shop to see is she wants to move to the area," she explained. "So, I'm her first client of her trip... If you hang out we can talk more about what you'd like to do, though," she said apologetically.

"Oh, well, I won't interfere with that," he smiled. "I would like to watch though if you really don't mind discussing my tattoo while getting yours done," he'd noticed the nervousness of her explaination but summed it up to the possibility of her being a fan, even though they knew each other.

"That's fine," she said shyly then proceeded to take a seat in her own chair.

Punk watched her carefully, as he did most people. He'd always been interested in the human psyche but prefered to observe rather than study it actively.

"How long have you been tattooing," he asked to keep conversation going with the young woman.

"Nearly two years," she flushed slightly, arousing his curiosity once more.

"How old are you," he continued.

Her face went pale and she swallowed again. "Twenty."

"Really," he asked, though it hadn't suprised him. "Thought you were older... I got my start in wrestling at your age," he smiled. "You probably think I'm an old man," he joked.

"Thirty isn't old," she said quitely.

"So you do know who I am," he said, watching her expression.

"Yeah... Doubly," she said turning her face towards the door, the opposite direction of him.

"How's that?"

"You are CM Punk, professional wrestler and also a old friend of my brother... He's gone now," she said just above a whisper.

"Gone?"

"Yeah, died a few months ago... Hit by a drunk driver," she covered her face with her hands.

"I'm really sorry to hear that. He was such a good guy when I knew him," Punk said, before shock and his own grief took his breath away.

"He was still a good man when he died," she forced a ragged breath. He could see the tears roll down her cheeks but he heard no sobs. He knew that for her it was the kind of pain that would likely never be expressed by sounds or words. He remembered how close they'd been when he and her brother hung out. She went everywhere they did and their parents had the theory that if she shouldn't be there neither should their son. It was a policy Punk and Axel had stuck to, though they took her to all the local punk shows they went to and where ever else they avoided the afterparties, opting to go back to one of their houses to hang out.

"Ryoko, I am so sorry," he said from his seat. Though as a child Ryoko would often come to him when she was upset and didn't want to tell her brother, he wasn't sure what the woman would want or allow from him.

"You remember me," she asked, surprize capturing her attention for a few seconds. She shook her head almost as soon as she'd realized what she'd said. He guessed that it was because she had missed the cues in their conversation that should told her he remembered.

"Yes, I remember you. You were the cutest little punk kid at all the shows," he smiled as she flushed. "Your brother used to have me dress you up until you decided you'd pick your own band tees... Then we had to take you shopping because your parents didn't want to tell you no to the clothes you liked but they secretly hated them."

"I remember," she said wiping her tears away. "I figured that's why they sent us out to shop instead of taking me," she smiled at the memory. "Then you started wrestling and out grew us... My brother went the opposite direction and cleaned up his look and got a high paying job and a window office," she shook her head... "He forsook himself for the money but he was still a good man."

"Some people feel they have to do what's best for others... Last time I talked to him I got the feeling that was what he was doing it for the good your family," Punk said, trying to tell her the truth without making her feel guilty. "I didn't mean to leave you guys behind either... I just got so wrapped up in this life that I live that I forgot practically everyone except my immidiate family," he admitted, upset with himself.

"I understand. We really missed you though," she answered after a few moments, skirting around the first part.

"I am sorry about that. How about I promise not to lose touch with you again," he offered, knowing the reason she avoided responding to half of his last spill. She did feel guilty for Axel's betrayal of himself but Punk wasn't entirely convinced that it was just his love for his family, her in particular that made him change. The betrayal of himself may not have been a betrayal at all.

"That sounds alright," she gave him a weak smile but said nothing else.

"Hey, trouble," he heard from the door.

"Hey," Ryoko said as she looked to the woman who looked to be a few years older than her and at least part Native American. She was pierced and tattooed much like the punk girl who sat between them.

"You ready," she asked looking her friend over. Punk noticed a hint of concern in her expression but not enough that she would voice those concerns.

"Whenever you are," Ryoko responded. "You're the one who is late," she teased, clearing the emotional fog slightly.

"Yeah, yeah... You'll survive," the friend teased back.

"Excuse me but I have a client waiting for me because I was waiting for you," she bit back. He could tell she was only playing with the woman though. Her expressions didn't seem harsh enough to be anything but playful.

"Well I could always skip you and do his work," the woman quipped.

"No," Ryoko said forcefully. "I'm doing his work."

It was obvious to him that she hadn't intended to cross over to true feelings but she had. The outburst promted her quick clarification, which also expressed more than she'd intended.

"Fine, pretty boy can be your client," the girl teased, causing her friend to blush.

Ryoko didn't respond though. He wasn't sure it if it was was to prevent saying anything else she didn't intend to or to avoid saying something she thought was misleading but she remained silent for a while.

"So... Which one are we working on today," the friend who's name remained a mystery to him inquired.

"My sleeve," she said as she unzipped the black hoodie, revealing a hot pink and black striped halter top with "sXe" in bold white letters across her C cup breasts. It was obviously something she'd made or had gotten someone to make it for her. He'd never seen anything like it before and he knew her to be a very creative artistic person so he guessed her to be the maker.

"Ah, yes. Working on filling in... Glad the lines are done... that took forever. How much do you want to do today?"

"Do you mind hanging out for a while," the young woman looked to him.

"I don't mind at all. I wasn't really looking forward to hanging out by myself all night," he laughed.

"We very well could be here all night," Ryoko's friend shook her head.

"Oh, Raine, don't be so dramatic..."

"You'll sit here and let me tatoo you until tomorrow if I could stay awake that long," the older woman pointed out. "I know you better than that. Besides, you have a client."

"That I do... I should just do your work for you," she said sitting up in the chair.

"No worries. I'd rather watch you get your work done for now. Like I said, I'm in to hurry."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead," he smiled. He certainly had missed the girl, though she'd changed almost beyond recognition, at least physically, she was still a lot like the little punk rocker they'd toted to all the shows.

"Thanks. I'm totally being selfish but I want this done," she blush slightly.

"You are so impatient. I can't do it all in one sitting," Raine shook her head.

"Yeah but it'll be so much prettier when it's completed."

"Most people will think it's hideious because it's on a chick," her friend laughed.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I'll love it," she pouted.

"Gonna be hard to get a date with this thing but we've gone too far to turn back now," she teased again.

"I don't know about that," Punk said with a smile. He knew full well that his comment had been bold but it was his style to be blunt.

Ryoko looked at him for a moment with furrowed eye brows. He smiled allowing her to process his comment before returning his attention to the tattooer.

"If you don't start working soon we'll be here longer than all night," he pointed out.

"No we won't," the owner laughed. "You may be but I'll be sleeping in about... oh, I'd say five hours."

"We should get to work," Raine noted as she moved her cart of tattooing impliments closer.

"Here goes nothing," she smiled as she picked up the gun, filling it's well with a deep purple.

"I seriously need some music," Ryoko said quietly as her friend touched the gun to a spot on her arm for the first time.

"Where's your MP3 player," her friend asked.

"In that cabinet," she pointed with her free arm.

"I'll get it for you if you like," Punk offered. He'd spoiled her as a child but he realized as soon as the offer came out of his mouth that he would be so much worse now, especially since her brother had passed away.  
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	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

"If you don't mind," she said, adjusting the belt that helped keep her black skinny jeans in place.

Punk nodded, raising from his seat to retrieve the mp3 player. It took him a moment to find it amoung the tattoo and piercing equipment in the small cabinet but he finally spotted near the back of the cabinet behind her tattoo gun. He made his way over to the chair.

"Here," he said handing her the black IPOD.

"Thanks," she said as she took the device in one hand, only using the ear bud closest to the gun.

Punk retrieved his seat and moved it closer to the one she sat in as she scrolled through the menu options.

"So, what exactly is this gonna be," Punk asked as he looked at the lines. The whole tatoo had already been outlined but it was complicated piece.

"This is a Japanese dragon," she said making the circling motion following the lines of it's body. "Earth is gonna be right here in it's mouth. Then all these crazy looking spaces are the alternating day and night sky, stars included. These other random lines are Japanese Cherry Blossoms..." she trailed off.

"That's gotta be a first," he smiled.

"I believe it is. I think it'll be really cool when it's done but until then it'll be a hot mess," she smiled.

"That it will," her closest friend responded. "It would have been easier if you hadn't insisted on outlining everything first.

"If we didn't the dragon would look pretty stupid with random cherry blossoms on it," Ryoko pointed out. Her friend shrugged. Obviously this as a battle that would not be won by either party.

"I'm gonna get as much of this done as I can this week so you'll stop wearing those damn hoodies all the time."

"Good 'cause I'm tired of wearing them all the time," she said sticking her tongue out.

Punk sat back and laughed. It reminded him of how stubborn she was as a kid.

She turned her head toward Punk when the gun found a sensitive area. Her eyes were closed for a moment but she opened them to look at him.

"You alright," he asked, though he figured she was.

"Yeah, just can't stand to look when it hurts," she laughed.

Punk wondered momentarily if it was to distract herself from the pain or if it just seemed less severe when she faced away from it.

"You're such a whimp," her friend teased.

"Am not," she said looking at the gun then whincing.

"Hey, each person deals with things differently," Punk defended her, though she hadn't asked for it. He just felt it was right.

"Thanks," the younger woman smiled. "I didn't think I was that bad," she smiled. "I just am not a fan of needles touching my skin... How ironic, right?"

"It seems to be a little ironic considering the fact that you tattoo and pierce people for a living, not to mention the fact that you are getting a three quarter length sleeve," he smiled. "I believe we all do things that seem against our character at times."

"And what have you done that was against your character," she asked.

He smiled knowing he'd captured her attention well enough that she didn't notice the pain. He also knew what she was asking. "No, not in the way you're thinking. I'm still drug free, still alcohol free. I just went against what I believed and I bet most others believed I would do when it came to wrestling... I became the company man... I went corportate and joined the WWE for the money mostly. I've gotten to the point in my career I realized that I need to either leave it or find a way to pay the bills. That's when I made the decision to accept the contract because of the money. It was also the only thing I had left to do," he watched her expression.

"That was certainly something I hadn't expected you to do," he realized her slip up but she continued. "I can't say as I blame you. You spent a long time in an unforgiving business, getting your skull bashed in for five or ten bucks at times. It made sense," she answered the question he hadn't asked. 'What did people think about his selling-out of his old gimmick for a new one that had been preverted almost beyond recognition?'

"So, I take it you followed my career to some degree," he said, hoping he sounded as non-judgemental as he actually was.

"Yes." Her face flushed cherry red. She said nothing but continued to look him in the eye.

"Really?"

"Yeah... The whole thing," her friend rolled her eyes.

"Shut it," she glared at her friend but looked up to the ceiling after a moment. "Is your goal in life to torture me," she groaned quitely.

"Not quite but it seems to be working," she smiled, still joking but Punk knew the teasing had gone too far. He rested his hand on the arm closest to him and shot her friend a look warning her to knock it off. He was starting to get more than annoyed by the teasing but he kept his mouth closed though he wasn't sure how much longer it would remain that way.

"So, you have followed my career... Do you prefer my indy days or my WWE days more," he asking, working to take her attention once more.

"I prefer the indy wrestling style and promos... WWE totally fucked your gimmick but I understand the money thing... I must say I prefer the new gear and your hair black though," she smiled looking to the ceiling until she finished her statement. She looked a him again.

"What do you like so much about the new gear," he asked, trying to keep converation light and already realizing that he looked better with darker hair.

"Well... I'm a leg girl. I love a nice set of legs," she smiled.

"Ah," he smiled. "I see. You dig the near nakedness," he laughed.

"You could say that," she laughed. "You certainly have a nice set of legs," she said quietly, though it was obviously weird for her.

"Thanks... They don't need any work then?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I rather like them the way they are," she smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind," he took a moment to look up at her friend who seemed rather annoyed by the conversation. He suddenly realized what the real issue was for the girl's friend. She was in to him too but he was expressing interest in Ryoko. He'd seen several friendships end over the same thing. He shook his head, hoping it didn't come to that for them. "I need to get back to work on my stomach though," he laughed casually.

"If you say so. I like you pretty much any way I've seen you. You're still Punk to me," she smiled. "That'll never change but don't think I don't find you to be even more amazing when you're in good shape," she bit her lip.

"Just a bonus, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she said averting her eyes and blushing.

"Well... Hmm... I guess we could move on," he smiled. "You seem a bit embarassed, so I'll drop it."

"Um... Yeah, a little embarassing," she giggled. "It could be worse though. Are you easily embarassed," she asked, changing the subject.

"Not really but some subjects do embarass me. It does seem that I don't get as embarassed as easily or bad as you," he smiled.

"I can't help it," she she glared at him.

"I know. You were always easy to embarass. I don't know why," he shook his head. "Especially since you spent so much time at the shows with us."

"Good point," she paused.

"There are ways to cure that though," he said quitely. Wrestling was one of the things that had cured him of his own ease of embarassment. She raised her eyebrow, making him realize what it had sounded like.

"That helps too but that wasn't what I was thinking about," he laughed, shaking his head. "The locker room and wrestling in general helps with that a lot."

"I guess so..." She agreed after a moment. "It probably would do that..."

"It does trust me. At least it did for me."

"Maybe I should be a wrestler then." The look on her face was calm, collected and serious. He knew that look well, though it had been years since he'd seen it. She was serious about it, or at least about trying it. She'd made bigger decisions in less time which was also something he knew well.

"Well, think about it some and if you'd like I'll train you."

"No need to think. Let's do it," she said.

"Are you crazy," her friend asked in shock.

"Yeah, maybe... It's something I wanna do though," she remained calm.

"I'm obviously not gonna work with you in the ring this visit since you are getting work done... It'll just mess it up but you are more than welcome to join me working out. Seems you do that part pretty well already," he winked, driving her friend up the wall.

"Thank you. I work out a lot but definitely need to get on the ball with the cardio though."

"We could do cardio if you like. Granted we may be sucking wind too hard to catch up but we can do that," he pointed out.

"That's true but there is always lunch," she smiled.

"That we can do as well," he smiled back. He could feel Raine's jealousy but he ignored it. He really wanted to get to know the girl again.

"Cool... So, I take it tomorrow is like the everything day, huh?"

"Yeah... We could start a morning of tattooing the move on to lunch and a work out. Sound alright?"

"Or when we get finished here we could have dinner and discuss it?"

"I like that plan. We'll go with that."

"Good," Ryoko said closing her eyes.

The room fell silent but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, at least not for him but he was curious as to what she was thinking. He watched her friend work on the tattoo until he found himself bored with that. He began to observe her expressions. It was difficult to say what might be causing them but he could see a wide range of emotions. She was quiet long enough to make him wonder if she was sleeping, though it sounded obserd since she was being tattooed.

"Well, how far have we gotten," she asked, eyes still closed.

"I've finished half of the dragon," her friend replied after a moment.

"That's a plus..."

"We can stop when ever you like," her friend pointed out.

"I'm gonna lay here just as long as you feel like tattooing," she smiled.

"Alright then. Hope you're up for a long night," she said looking to Ryoko then Punk.

"I'm good," Punk said. "I have a lot of long nights."

"I'm cool too. I want this done so bad I can't see straight," she laughed.

"I plan on reminding you of that statement tomorrow when you are whining about not sleeping."

"I don't work tomorrow," she responded sticking her tongue out.

"But you do have a full day planned..."

"So...What's your point Raine."

"Nevermind," she snapped, shaking her head. Punk crossed his arms over his chest and laughed at the exchange.  
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	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

"What time is it," Ryoko was the first to speak in a long time.

"It's six..." Punk said after looking at his cell phone.

"Oh," she said looking at him. Here eyes were bloodshot. She was obviously worn out and the pain was starting to wear on her.

"I think you've had enough for tonight," he said rubbing her arm.

"Hmm... Oh, no I'm ok," she said quietly.

"Well, whether you are or not. I am finished because you're getting hard to tattoo," Raine said. "Half because your tense and half because I'm having to hold you in place."

"Sorry."

"It's cool but I think you've fallen asleep several times. You need to go home, or whereever it is you intend to stay," she teased.

"I may sleep here," the youngest mumbled.

"Don't think so, chica. You're going somewhere else to sleep," Raine laughed. "But don't even think about moving. You're giving me ten more minutes to finish this part up."

"Ok," she said closing her eyes once again. Her right arm slipped of the side of the table and hung limply.

"I don't think we'll be going to dinner," Punk laughed as he gently placed her arm back on the chair.

"Maybe breakfast if you can get her to leave here," her friend laughed.

"I'll carry her out if I have to," Punk smiled. "I don't see her fighting it."

"Good point."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," she said slowly.

"I'm sorry," Punk said genuinely. "It does look like I'll be carrying you out of here, though," he said, placing a hand on her arm.

"Hmmm..."

Raine and Punk looked at each other, shaking their heads. He guessed by her demeanor that Raine had, at least for the moment, gotten over her feelings for him.

"Stay with her," she mouthed.

"Just so you know... We do know each other," he said.

"I guessed by the 'catching up' reference in one of your converstions," she responded.

"Oh yeah... Forgot about that," he laughed. "I guess I've landed on my head a few too many times."

"Happens to the... wrestlers amoung us," she said quickly changing the saying to fit her purposes.

"It certainly does."

"You're finished for tonight," she said to her friend.

"Mmmnnuuhh..."

"You obviously know how to take care of this so please do... Until she decides it's time to wake up," he friend asked simply.

"I will. How much does she owe you," he asked.

"Well, if it was anyone else this would be $20,000 completed but she's getting it for $10,000. She's paying when it's finished."

"She's not paying for it. I am. My apology for neglecting her. Here's a check for $5,000. I'll get you the rest later. I'll tell her too so you don't get yelled at."

"Um... OK. Thanks," she said. "Negl..."

"Neglecting her... You heard me right. Long story short, when she was young I was there for everything. Her brother and I were super close. She went everywhere with us. I got into wrestling ten years ago but I left them behind around seven years ago. I don't plan on doing that again."

"Oh... YOU're the one," she said as though something had just clicked.

"I guess so," he said, not entirely sure if he was "the one" Raine was refering to but he went on. "I have a lot of time to make up for." He gathered the items he knew to be hers. "I promised her I would always be there and didn't hold up my end of the bargain. I think she probably let me go in a way to wrestle because she knew it made me happy but I shouldn't have let her let go," he explained though he knew he didn't have to explain himself to anyone but the young woman who had fallen asleep once again. "I'm gonna take her to my place for now. I'm sure she'll let you know if I'm 'the one' when she gains enough consciousness to talk."

"Yeah... Hey by the way, she's a vegan now."

"Oh... That complicates things a little... Guess I'm putting her to bed and going to Walmart," he laughed.

"I could meet you there so you'll have foods she likes... She's a picky vegan."

"Sure if you don't mind. I'd hate to have to take her when she wakes up... Especially if she's anything like she used to be."

"If you mean not a 'morning person', then yeah... She is still the most easily aggrivated person I know in the mornings."

"Great... So... I should be there by 7:15... I'll wait in the door area grocery side."

"Ok. That works for me. I gotta clean this stuff first so you may beat me there but I'll see you shortly," she said. "I'll bring anything you missed of hers as well."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in in a minute to get her," he said as he exited the building to put her things in the car. He unlocked it quickly. the air was colder than he expected so he decided to start the car as well. He turned the heater on and his stereo down before closing the door and re-entering the shop.

"I'm almost done with bandaging," Raine called almost immediately. "I still don't know how anyone can fall asleep during a tattoo," she laughed.

"Me neither but it happens... I guess."

"She never falls asleep when a pierce her," she laughed.

"I'd hope not... How many piercings does she have now," he asked after a moment.

"Thirteen... She wants more but says the number is symbolic. I told her we could do thirteen types of piercings but she didn't go for that."

"I can imagine why not," he shook his head. Both girls were unlike most of the women he knew but Raine still had some of the most obnoxious traits a female could have, like her desire to make fun of her friends and her interest in men her friends was interested in or close to but he remained the gentleman.

"Well, she's good to go," she rolled away from the table to give him more room to pick her up.

Punk moved around to her right side to pick her up so he wouldn't have to be as careful to avoid the tatoo. He raised her up slightly to place his left arm uder her back. He the slid his right arm under her knees. He lifted her carefully and slowly.

"See you in forty-five minutes," he asked as he made his way toward the door.

"Yeah. See you then," her friend said as without looking up as she cleaned her work area.

Punk opened the door with his back. It had been quite some time since he'd carried a girl anywhere, though he was more than capable. Most of the women he had been around in the last few years felt they had something to prove. Especially the ones he'd dated so he never even tried to be the gentleman because it was usually spat back in his face by the women in the business as sexist. It was something that couldn't be further from the truth with him. He was actually a feminist. The evidence was inked plainly on his arm. Many of the women he knew could not accept that he was a feminist but also felt the need to hold doors open for women and do whatever he could to let them know he cared.

He almost laughed at himself when he realized that the tough man he displayed was the a smaller part of him than the protective, caretaker part of him was but the thoughts were interupted by the daunting task to opening the door with the girl in his arms.

She was shivering but hadn't woke up yet. He carefully placed her feet on the ground. He pulled her close to him with his left are to hold her up as he opened the door before picking her up once again to put her on the seat. He closed the door then took his place in the driver seat before buckling her in, then himself.

The ride home was silent except for the sounds of the radio and the wind, though he had a passenger which wasn't very typical since he'd left the indies. The roads were brightly lit most of the way, as they always were in Chicago. He'd become accustomed to both the dark interstate roads and the bright city lights over the many nights of his career. This morning though the lights and the sky seemed brightener. He wondered if it was a trick of his eyes and mind due to the number of hours he'd been awake or if it was the lights on the back drop of the early morning sky. He heard a sigh from his passenger seat. After a moment he glanced over in time to see her close her eyes.

It took him less than fifteen minutes to get home from the shop. He left her in the car while he unlocked his house and turned on a few lights on the way to his bedroom. He knew his neighbors were probably cursing him for showing up in the early morning hours bumping around in the dark. After he had finished turning the lights on he made his way back to the rental. He worked quickly to unbuckle her and lift her from the car. He closed the door with his foot and carried her into the small apartment, up the stairs to the bedroom. He lay her his bed carefully then pulled the cover over her. He looked her over and exited the room, turning the lights off as he left. He walked out of the building into the cold morning air. His own exhaustion starting to hit him with the cold air. He shook his head as he entered his own car. It wasn't warm like the other had been but it was his car, a luxury he rarely enjoyed.

He returned to the well lit roads and made his way mindlessly down them toward the nearest Wal-mart. He was a little early and hoped Raine had made it there already. He had realized he wanted nothing more than to be at home asleep, though he hadn't decided if he would sleep in his own bed with her or take the couch.

Before he'd realized it he was in the parking lot of the oversized store. He parked and jogged to the front door. Though he'd grown up in the area, he found the weather particularly cold that night. He wondered if it was from his travel schedule which took him to many different climates each week or if it was actually as cold as he thought it was. He slowed to a walk as he reached the automatic doors. He walked through them to find that she had not arrived yet. He took out his IPOD and turned it on. He spent most of his free time listening to music and this certainly qualified as "free time" to him. He wondered breifly if the young lady had woke up since he'd been gone or if she was still sound asleep.

A few minutes later she arrived looking just as tired as he felt.

"Hey," he spoke first.

"Hey... Follow me," Raine said as she walked into the store.

"Right," Punk said as he grabbed a basket and headed into the store himself.

"This way," she said as she walked toward the back of the store.

Punk followed a few steps behind her. He wondered if Raine was being hostile or if she hadn't realized how she was acting but either way he didn't really feel like dealing with her mood swings at that moment.

They reached the back of the store quickly. She opened up a cooler door and handed him a half gallon carton of vanilla Silk, soy milk, before closing the door again.

"Let's see... We need... Lender's Bagels in Cinnamon Raisin if they have them, Apple Jacks, and incase you guys decide not to leave the house until after lunch we'll get Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice," she said avoiding his eyes.

"Rather specific list," he pointed out.

"Told you she was picky..."

"Aside from the limited diet... Yeah, she seems to be," he responded as they walked toward the next item on Raine's list.

"You don't know the half of it..." She shook her head. "She had to do all of her own shopping when we lived together. I refused to go shopping even if she wrote a specific list..."

"Wow... guess I'll have to get used to it," he said as he looked down the aisles for the items she'd listed.

"Yeah... Here, bagels." He notices how she avoided the statement as much as possible. He realized, beyond earlier suspisions, that she had a very strong attration to him, a crush.

"Ah, cereal," he said avoiding the uncomfortable silence. He didn't really care for the sex symbol part of his career but he understood why it was a vital part of it.

"Apple Jacks," she said as she tossed a box in his direction. He caught it with his free hand then followed her toward the aisle with pastas.

"So, I guess I'll see you at the shop sometime," she said after he found the Red Beans and Rice mix.

"See you," he said before turning toward the registers. He walked toward them at a normal pace, hoping to prevent more drama from her at least for the moment.

The man at the register was less than pleasant but Punk ignored his staring and his smart remarks. He usually gave a very little leeway when it came to judgmental people but he had grown weary of the battles over the last few months and he really just wanted to get home this night so he ignored the man aside from paying him and taking the bags from him.

He walked swiftly out of the building and jogged back to his car. He started the engine and headed for his apartment. He turned the stereo up and refrained from turning the heat on, knowing he was more likely to stay awake from the cold and assult of the less than pleasant early morning assorment of music.

The drive home took a little longer than the trip to the oversized store due to early morning traffic from people driving to their "normal" jobs. Something he never really knew much about. Wrestling had consumed most of his life for so long he wasn't sure he could ever really be that normal guy with a normal job. He wondered how everyone else made it through their day breifly as he approached his apartment only to remember that he had a decision to make, since the young woman was more than likely still sleeping in his bed.

He pulled into the driveway and parked beside the rental, vowing to himself to find a better one before leaving town again. He cut the engine before unbuckling his seatbelt and exiting his car. He closed the door before locking his vehicle and unlocking his apartment. He closed the door after entering it, relocking it. He noticed that nothing had changed since he left, at least not in the lower half of his apartment. He walked to the back area, where the kitchen was located and put away the new groceries. After doing so he turned off the lights and made his way up the stairs to check on the small woman. He used his cell phone to make his way into the room and turn on a dim lamp on the bedside table.

Ryoko was still sleeping when he turned the lamp on but it did not disturb her. He didn't check her tattoo since it was bandaged properly and it hadn't even been two hours since they left the shop. He rubbed her cheek gently to wake her.

"Hmmm," she moaned.

"Ryoko," he spoke quitely. "You awake?"

"Ummm... Yeah." She moaned.

"It's me, Punk... I know you're sleepy but I want you know you are at my apartment. I can get you something else to wear if you'd like." He spoke though he wasn't sure she was really awake enough to understand anything he was saying.

"Punker... Ummm, k..."

"Ummm, k?"

"Clothes would be nice," she mummbled.

He stood and took a moment to dig through his drawer to find one of his smaller shirts and a pair of boxers for her.

"Here," he said as he rubbed her arm.

"Hmmm... Oh, thanks," she said, starting to wake up a little. She sat up carefully, wincing after unintentionally hitting her tattooed arm.

"You ok," Punk asked groggily.

"Yeah, just sore... What time is it," she asked, taking the clothes from him.

"It's time we should be getting up if we were on the road and sleeping otherwise," he smiled.

"Too cryptic," she sighed. She moved to unbuckle her pants, ignoring the fact that he was in the room. He turned toward the window to allow her some privacy. It was a habit from wrestling that he now carried into his personal life.

"I'm like that," he laughed.

"Hmp," she responded. He heard her clothes hitting the floor between them. He smiled to himself but said nothing more. "You can turn around now," she said after a moment. He turned to face her. He watched as she lay back down on his bed. "You gonna sleep this morning?"

"Yeah... I'm just not sure where," he smiled.

She raised up the cover on the opposite side of the bed in response. The action was enough to remove any thoughts of the dilema. He loosened the belt on his baggy blue jeans and let them hit the floor. He pulled the covers back once more before sliding in between them.

"Good night... morning... whatever," he said leaning over her to turn off the sole light in the room, though it didn't change much. He lay on the opposite side of the bed from what he was used to. Facing her, he watched her for a moment before closing his eyes. After a moment he felt her move closer.

"Still a cuddle bug," he laughed.

"Yea..." She sighed lightly as he lifted her arm by the wrist to avoid touching her new tattoo. He slid his arm under hers and wrapped it around her tightly before placing her arm over his. She lifted her head to allow him to slide his other arm under her head, the same way he had when she was a kid. Another smile crossed his lips, something that had happened quiet a few times in the twelve hours since he'd arrived in his home town. Was it the familiarity of the actions or was his happiness over seeing her? Unable to answer either question he idly wondered if hours after waking would produce that same enthusiasm in him or if the nostalgia would wear off. He closed his eyes, wishing he'd bought black out curtains the last time he'd been home but he knew he'd fall asleep quickly from fatigue alone.  
- 


End file.
